86 Wine Bar brings natural wine, small plates, and vinyl grooves to MLK North
A soft glow spills through the arches at 86 Wine Bar, the newest addition to the stretch of MLK North where locals stop for beer at Golden Isles or dinner at Sunset Grille. Inside, the space hums with conversation, records spinning, and the feel of something built by hand.
The name is a quiet nod to the industry. “86” is restaurant shorthand for taking something off the menu. For owner Kendra Hardesty, it became a personal phrase for stepping away from the pace of service life to build something slower and more deliberate.
They opened quietly over the weekend, welcoming neighbors who had watched it come together for months. Hardesty, who spent years working in hospitality, built the bar with her partner and general manager, Shane Richard Schuch. Both live nearby, and the bar reflects that closeness to place and people.
“We wanted to be in our own neighborhood,” Shane said. “If we could open a wine bar right here, that’d be fantastic. So here we are.”
From Industry Life to Independence
The couple’s backgrounds in food and beverage shaped everything about the space. Shane worked in kitchens and behind bars across the city, while Kendra’s time at Café Clementine in the Museum of Fine Arts honed her focus on detail and integrity in service.
She credits that team for teaching her the kind of precision she carried into opening week. “Everything they touch is done with integrity, innovation, and attention to detail,” she said.
Respect the Fruit
For Shane, the draw to natural wine comes down to care and intention. He talks about lower intervention, biodynamic practices, and producers who work sustainably, people who, as he puts it, “just care about the soil and the grapes.”
“They’re usually smaller producers from all over the globe,” he said. “When you just have grapes in a bottle, it’s a fermented natural thing. They can be cloudy, bubbly, elegant. They can be everything wine can be.”
The wine list focuses on small producers working in low-intervention styles, a reflection of the values that first drew them to natural wine.
Natural wine has already made its way into other corners of St. Pete, from Smallbar to CellarMasters. 86 brings that same energy north, pairing a neighborhood setting with a hands-on, DIY approach to hospitality.
Design that Tells a Story
The look of the bar came together slowly, shaped by Kendra’s design research and their shared taste for modern simplicity. The aesthetic is Japandi, a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian minimalism.
“We joked about doing tombstones,” Kendra said. “Then thought, let’s bring in that shape in a less macabre way. So we did arches instead—a more playful version of being ’86’d’.”
Local artists Joe Frontel and Jeremo designed the bar’s wilted-flower wine-glass logo, a visual anchor that’s already made its way onto merchandise. The space takes on a different glow at night, the light from the arches making the bar feel like its own little world.
Wine, Bites, and Vinyl
Behind the bar is a small raw setup: oysters with housemade hot sauces, seasonal crudos, and shareable plates.
Music plays a big role. Shane, who also DJs, built out the system himself and curates the vinyl collection. “There are no TVs,” he said. “It’s about hearing music from all around the world, sharing a bottle, and having conversations.”
They plan to host chef takeovers, sommelier-led tastings, and guest DJ nights as the bar settles in, creating space for collaboration and community.
Final Sip
86 Wine Bar feels like it belongs here. It is personal, handmade, and shaped by two people who have spent years in hospitality, now doing it on their own terms. It is a space that favors connection over flash and conversation over noise.
Their first collaboration, 86 Wine Bar × NADA Wine, takes place October 10 from 5 p.m. to midnight, featuring natural wines, small bites, and vinyl grooves at 2930 Dr. M.L.K. Jr St N, Unit B. It is a glimpse of the creative, community-focused energy they are bringing north.
It’s new, but it already feels like part of the rhythm of the block.
“We’re just stoked,” Shane said with a grin. “We’re tired, but stoked.”
